During nearly a year of restrictions on restaurants meant to limit the spread of COVID-19, Gov. Tom Wolfâs shutdown of dining rooms during the normally busy winter holidays was especially tough for restaurant owners.
Some ignored the rules, keeping their dining rooms open during the three-week period that ended Jan. 5. In response, enforcement was stepped up as the Wolf administration started issuing âclosed by orderâ notices on the spot to restaurants found to be in violation, a first during the pandemic.
As part of the Wolf administrationâs toughened enforcement, 50 restaurants â including seven from Lancaster County â that got closure notices then stayed open found themselves on the receiving end of a pair of lawsuits from the state Department of Health that sought some intimidating remedies.
UpdatedThu, Feb 4, 2021 at 3:04 pm ET
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Three more restaurants were shut down by the Department of Agriculture in Pennsylvania. ( Jan Hetfleisch/Getty Images)
PENNSYLVANIA Enforcement of restaurants in violation of COVID-19 protocols continues in Pennsylvania, but the number of new establishments willing to stand in open defiance seems to be diminishing.
Just three restaurants were ordered to be shut down by the Department of Agriculture s Bureau of Food Safety over the most recent enforcement period, covering the week from Jan. 25 to Jan. 31.
That s tied for the the smallest number of restaurants shut down in a single week since mid-December. Just three restaurants were shut down the previous week, as well, following several weeks of anywhere from over a dozen to up to 40 shut downs being announced.
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But the Jan. 5 suit adds a provision seeking damages and restitution for âunjust enrichmentâ by the restaurants, including âwrongful gains and disgorgement of profits realized through their violations of the order.â
The Lancaster County restaurants named in the new suit all received âclosure by noticeâ orders between Dec. 21 and Dec. 27 from the state Department of Agriculture for violating the indoor dining ban.
The Lancaster County restaurants named in the Jan. 5 department of health suit are:
Brickerville Family Restaurant, 2 28th East Division Highway, Lititz.
Hometown Kitchen, 18 Furnace Road, Quarryville.
New Holland Coffee Company, 832 West Main St., New Holland.
Park City Diner, 884 Plaza Blvd., Lancaster.
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